
Lost in the jungle of sustainability acronyms? Don’t worry, here comes TriplePundit to our rescue with a (very incomplete and partial) list of the most important acronyms you should know. Thanks TriplePundit !
Vi siete persi nella giungla delle sigle della sostenibilità? Niente paura, ecco che in nostro soccorso arriva TriplePundit con l’elenco (assolutamente incompleto e parziale) delle più importanti sigle da sapere. Grazie TriplePundit !
- Agenda 21 A non-binding, voluntarily-implemented action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development.
- AODP The Asset Owners Disclosure Project survey of investors on climate actions
- BCI The Better Cotton Initiative, guidance on fair labor and sustainable cotton production
- B Corp B Corp, or B Corporation, is a business certification from B Labs. A benefit corporation is a legal business construct, like an LLC or C Corp, except it has sustainability at its core.
- BREEAM Building Research Establishment Global’s Environmental Assessment Method for green building
- BSR BSR is a global nonprofit organization with member companies and a widely attended annual conference.
- CCS Carbon capture and storage (or sequester) projects
- CDP Formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project (now just CDP); issues corporate surveys on climate change, water and forestry, with additional supply chain reporting guidance.
- CDSB Climate Disclosure Standards Board; provides guidance on climate reporting, and proposed stock exchange listing rule on climate emissions reporting.
- CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
- CO2e Carbon dioxide equivalent — frequently used in emissions reporting.
- COP Communication on progress — a reporting requirement of being a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact.
- CSR or CR Corporate social responsibility or corporate responsibility, commonly used interchangeably
- DFPRW Declaration on fundamental principals and rights to work
- DJSI Dow Jones Sustainability Index
- EEIC Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition: a code of conduct for the electronics supply chain
- EIA Environmental Impact Assessment
- EPD Environmental product declaration
- ESG Environment, social and governance disclosure. Used interchangeably with CSR.
- FiT Feed-in tariff, the price renewable energy generators are paid by utility companies for their energy
- FLA Fair Labor Association
- FSC Forest Stewardship Council, creates standards for sustainably-harvested woods and fibers.
- FT Fair Trade
- G3/G3.1 Global reporting initiative’s third generation of sustainability reporting guidelines
- G4 Global reporting initiative’s fourth generation of sustainability reporting guidelines
- GEP Gender equality principals
- GHGP Greenhouse gas protocol for emissions reporting
- GIIRS Global impact investing rating system; third-party ratings for impact investments
- GISR Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings
- GRI Global Reporting Initiative
- ILO International Labor Organization core labor standards
- IR/IIRC Integrated reporting framework of the International Integrated Reporting Council
- ISO 14001 International Standards Organization’s Environmental Management System
- ISO 26000 ISO social responsibility standard
- ISO 31000 ISO risk management standard
- IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. See also ICUN Red List of threatened species
- KPI Key performance indicator
- LBC The Living Building Challenge™ is a building certification program, advocacy tool and philosophy that defines the most advanced measure of sustainability in the built environment possible today
- LCA Lifecycle assessment or Lifecycle analysis
- LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for green buildings
- MDGs United Nations Millennium Development Goals
- OSHA U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, provides standards for workplace safety
- RECs Renewable Energy Credits — similar to carbon offsets, but just for renewable energy
- REDD Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, a U.N. forestry program
- RSPO Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil
- SASB Sustainability Accounting Standards Board; offers sustainability accounting standards by industry
- SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment
- SFI Sustainable Forestry Initiative
- SDGs U.N. Sustainable Development Goals
- SRI Socially Responsible Investing
- ULE UL Environment, a standards board
- UNDHR United Nations Declaration on Human Rights
- UNGC U.N. Global Compact; companies endorse and report on their progress in meeting 10 CSR principals
- USGBC U.S. Green Building Council; responsible for the LEED standard for green building
- VCS Verified carbon standard, carbon offset certification body.
Triple Pundit is a new-media company for highly conscious business laders. They have grown to become one of the world’s most well read websites on ethical, sustainable & profitable business with over 450,000 unique monthly readers. Their philosophy is based on the triple bottom line, People, Planet & Profit. The TBL argues that economy, environment and society are inseparably related and an understanding of all three is critical to long term profitability.